Circle raises largest-ever VC round for a crypto business
Circle, a Boston-based provider of payment and treasury infrastructure solutions for online businesses, raised $440 million.
Why it matters: It's the largest-ever VC round for a crypto business.
Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.
Details: Axios has learned the deal was done at around a $3.5 billion pre-money valuation, but that the price could climb based on specifics of an anticipated public listing (most likely via SPAC).
Investors: Fidelity, Marshall Wace, Willett Advisors, Intersection Fintech Ventures, Atlas Merchant Capital, Digital Currency Group, FTX, Breyer Capital, Valor Capital Group, Pillar VC and Michael J. Price and Friends.
The bottom line: Circle works with lots of bitcoin-related companies, but is really banking on becoming a clearinghouse for stablecoins like its own dollar-pegged USDC — whose supply recently exceeded $20 billion and from which Circle makes money via the underlying dollar reserves.
More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
